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By Sara Becker
January 31, 2012
In we walked, through a halo of fallen snow to the site of this year’s SNOW fashion show. As mandated, we all wore white. Much schmoozing, pre-show strutting, handshaking, air kissing and photo posing followed.
We took our seats a half hour before the show started, which in the ever-tardy world of fashion, may seem a bit on the early side. However, settling in with a full glass of what else, white wine and my notebook, I was finally able to really take everything in. We were seated lengthwise down the center of a foreign car repair garage. On the edge of everything, a white car hovered between the floor and the ceiling as if a mechanic still had his head inside its undercarriage. White gauze curtains draped the walls of the shop while the floor remained uncarpeted under the white chairs and a flurry of white heels. Happily, the ceiling of the shop was left exposed, its whitewashed wooden beams peeking out at the audience.
The show’s attendees captured my attention completely. To my left sat a gentleman in steampunk wire frame glasses with a snake coiled vertically from the top of his white top hat. Seated where the snake’s (fake of course) head should have been sat a tiny bird. A few men and a woman wore hazmat suits, two women donned nearly floor-length fur coats, a tall fellow looked like a captain from the Navy in a stiff white jacket with big round gold buttons and a woman wore a lace turban. I found myself mesmerized by the knit sweater on designer and attendee, Ken Chen.
And then the show began. First were dresses by Violetta Vieux. Once the models were all on the runway an assistant appeared, slid his hands up each dress and detached the bottom half. What seemed like floor length wedding dresses were transformed into lovely, shorter eveningwear. By far, my favorite piece of Vieux’s collection was a piece with a corseted top and a long tight fishtail skirt with a train.
Next, Julie Schindler kicked things off with the sounds of Palm Springs. Out walked Gaultier/Navy influenced white suits with wide lapels and shiny silver buttons.
Cana Klebanoff’s linen menswear left me feeling like I’d just ridden through the desert. The fabric was light light lightweight with pants that combined the sensibility of jodhpurs with Price Ali (Aladdin).
Herbert Williamson’s ladylike dresses and suits were incredible. Half of his collection felt like Jackie O while the other half felt whimsical and effervescent.
All of his models wore long wigs with blunt bangs, which I loved. They accompanied the pieces really well but didn’t distract me from them. My favorites of his collection were a skirt suit with a silver belted jacket, a floor length open backed dress with a wispy skirt and a short dress with a tulip skirt.
Cari Borja came next with hooded tissue thin baby dolls, tulle skirts and a combination of mens and womenswear plus a little bit of topless man action, thanks very much. The collection emanated sex and scorching summer days.
Last but certainly not least came Joseph Domingo, designer and SFBA director. For me his designs went back and forth between weddings and everything you aren’t supposed to do at weddings (the naughty stuff). They were delicately ladylike and edgy all at once, with pearl embellishment, Grecian inspiration, a splash of the seventies and some seriously teased hair. Of his designs, my absolute favorite, and I think I can say it was my favorite of the entire show, was a long sleeved, floor length dress with a silver belt at the waist, an open back and silver accents all over it.
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